Follow Me
Daly (rhymes with Tally) English has a complicated life. She’s still mourning the death of her father; she and her mother continually argue; she’s unsure about her academic future; and her long time boyfriend is cheating on her. Just when Daly believes the Universe is conspiring against her, she meets two people who change her life forever.
Known more for her young adult and children’s books, Torn Together is Emlyn Chand’s first foray into adult fiction, and tells the story of Daly’s journey of self-discovery through her relationship with two unlikely people. First is her mother’s new pet project, wise-beyond-her-years pregnant teenager Meghann. Second is through Kashi, a pharmacist who crosses paths randomly with Daly, and tells her that fate will determine whether or not they meet again.
I spent the first part of the book thinking how young Daly seemed for so many of the things that were happening to her, and trying to figure out the age difference between Kashi and Daly while I was enjoying the story. The cross-cultural intrigue of whether or not Daly would be accepted by Kashi’s Indian family was entertaining me, and I thought I had the direction of the book pegged.
But then, Chand slams us with a heart-wrenching plot twist I never saw coming, and it elevated the book to a completely different emotional level. The book, and my connection to it, changed on a dime. No longer merely entertained by the characters and story, I felt a visceral reaction to and engagement with the story from that point on.
What could have been cliche turned out to be very poignant and thought provoking. I had been a bit ambivalent about Daly earlier in the book, but suddenly I found myself really rooting for her. I don’t want to say anything more so that I can avoid spoilers, but I am looking forward to more from Emlyn Chand.
About Emlyn Chand
Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm Novel Publicity. Best known for her Young Adult novels, she is also developing a small, but devoted, following to her children’s book series and is beginning to dabble in other genres as well. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available via almost every social media site in existence. Visit EmlynChand.com for more info, or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or GoodReads. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!
Buy the Book!
Get Torn Together on Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, or iTunes.
***It hasn’t yet posted to iTunes despite having released in August. We hope it will be there soon!***
Learn more about Torn Together or read the entire first chapter at http://www.emlynchand.com/books/other/